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Sediment record of environmental change at Lake Lop Nur (Xinjiang, NW China) from 13.0 to 5.6 cal ka BP

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Abstract

Lake Lop Nur is located in the eastern part of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, northwestern China. A 220-cm-long sediment core was collected from the center of the ear-shaped depression forming the basin and dated with AMS14C. Grain size, total organic matter (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and TOC/TN (C/N) analyses were used to reconstruct climatic conditions from 13.0 to 5.6 cal ka BP. The results showed five main climatic stages. Zone I (13.0–11.3 cal ka BP) was a wet–dry environment, whereas Zone II (11.3–8.9 cal ka BP) consisted of a primarily wet environment. Zone III (8.9–7.7 cal ka BP) was subdivided into Zone IIIa (8.9–8.2 cal ka BP) that indicated lake constriction and dry climate, and Zone IIIb (8.2–7.7 cal ka BP) in which the proxies indicated wet conditions. In Zone IV (7.7–6.6 cal ka BP), the climate presented a bit wet conditions. In Zone V (6.6–5.6 cal ka BP), abundant glauberite is present in the sediment and silt dominates the lithology; these results indicate the lake shrank and the overall climate was dry. Abrupt environmental events were also identified, including six dry events at 11.0, 10.5, 9.3, 8.6, 8.2, and 7.6 cal ka BP and one flood event from 7.8 to 7.7 cal ka BP in the Early–Middle Holocene.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to the journal reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions that improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experiment & Practice Teaching Center, Heibei GEO University, Shijiazhuang, 050031, China

    Jingzhong Wang  (汪敬忠) & Hongjuan Jia  (贾红娟)

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  1. Jingzhong Wang  (汪敬忠)
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  2. Hongjuan Jia  (贾红娟)
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Correspondence to Hongjuan Jia  (贾红娟).

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Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41271205) and the PhD Research Startup Foundation of Heibei GEO Univerity (No. BQ201604)

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Wang, J., Jia, H. Sediment record of environmental change at Lake Lop Nur (Xinjiang, NW China) from 13.0 to 5.6 cal ka BP. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 35, 1070–1078 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-017-6079-4

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